Michael Swickard's new novel about New Mexico

Commentary by Marita Noon - The Democrats think that climate change is going to be a winning issue for them in 2014—and, if they handle it correctly, this could be a winning issue for the Republicans. You know, nothing comes out of the Obama White House by mistake. Everything is planned, analyzed, and focus group-tested. Last June when President Obama presented his Climate Action Plan at Georgetown University, some environmentalists hailed it. In response, Frances Beinecke, the then-president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “The president nailed it.” The Huffington post reported that some environmental groups were wary that “Obama would follow through on the ambitious goals he laid out. Bill Snape of the Center for Biological Diversity described it as too little, too late.” But, environmentalists haven’t been “thrilled with the administration’s record.” In January, 18 groups sent Obama a strongly worded letter telling him that he “needs to address climate change more aggressively.” Obviously, Obama heard the complaints—making clear which group of constituents holds sway: billionaire environmentalist donors who believe Democrats have wavered on climate issues rather than the economically hard-hit middle class he claims to champion. Earlier this month, the Obama Administration announced the creation of 7 “climate hubs”—which the New York Times called: “a limited step” but said it “is part of a broader campaign by the administration to advance climate policy wherever possible with executive authority.” It is unclear what these “hubs” are or will do, but the stated goal is “to help farmers and rural communities respond to the risks of climate change, including drought, invasive pests, fires and floods.” W ashington Examiner columnist Ron Arnold calls the new hubs “propaganda spigots” and cites Steven Wilmeth, a southern New Mexico rancher, who said: “It’s another one of those ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’ deals. All I can say is, ‘Don’t help me.’ We hear the talk, but they’re not telling us what regulatory burdens these climate hubs will add to the overwhelming load we already carry.” Then on February 14, President Obama announced a new $1 billion “climate resilience fund” that “would go to research on the projected impacts of climate change, help communities prepare for climate change’s effects and fund ‘breakthrough technologies and resilient infrastructure.’” read full column

A new government survey shows New Mexico has more
farms and ranches than it did five years ago.

The survey also shows the state
has seen significant increases in the number of young farmers and minority
farmers in recent years.

State Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte says he's glad
to see a wider diversity of people getting into farming and ranching across the
state. He says that diversity will help create more opportunity. Witte also
says the younger farmers will help ensure agriculture remains a viable part of
the economy for years to come.

The 2012 agriculture census shows there are more
than 24,700 farms and ranches in New
Mexico, an 18 percent increase since 2007. That bucks
a long-term national trend that has seen the number of U.S. farms drop.

A 12-year-old boy who was seriously
injured in a shooting at a Roswell
school last month has returned home.

The Roswell Daily Record reports that
hundreds of people lined the city's streets, cheered and held up signs Friday
in support of Nathaniel Tavarez. The boy suffered wounds to his head and
stomach in the Jan. 14 shooting at BerrendoMiddle School.

A
seventh-grader is accused of taking a shotgun to school and opening fire on
Tavarez and a 13-year-old girl.

Tavarez's mother says doctors were unable to
remove the shots in his brain and he still cannot see, but may regain some
sight in his right eye. She says her son holds no grudges and just wants to go
back to school because he loves his teachers and friends.

The New Mexico legislative session has failed to
make any commitment to fund the state's share of costs to keep Amtrak's
Southwest Chief on its current route.

The session ended Thursday with none
of the five bills seeking ways to maintain the passenger train line passing.

Amtrak
has proposed that New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas
all chip in to improve and maintain more than 600 miles of track through their
states. The company says the Southwest Chief's route might change otherwise,
causing some communities to lose passenger service. The rail operator would
need to reach a deal with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns the track
Amtrak uses.

A legislative panel earlier this month agreed to commission a
study on whether the state should pay.